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lattelibrarian's review
5.0
With Halloween creeping up, Tony DiTerlizzi’s retelling of Howitt’s The Spider and the Fly evokes a didactic, eerie silent film. Drawn entirely in monochrome, I’m not too sure how well this would do for large groups of children (the contrast isn’t too high), but it would work well to be read out loud to a smaller group. DiTerlizzi utilizes a 1920s style in illustrating this tale, and even offers a final remark, written by the spider about the cautions of falling into someone’s web. However, this is likely not for the faint-hearted, as the spider’s previous kills are ghosting around, mounted as wall hangings or as rugs. Great for grades 2-5.
Review cross-listed here!
Review cross-listed here!
waterviolite's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Confinement, Animal death, and Murder
sharquin's review
5.0
The illustrations are wonderful in this book as is the poem they accompany. Great for a classroom read before halloween.
kamrynjo's review
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
beecheralyson's review
5.0
Caldecott Honor 2003 - I really, really loved the illustrations in this one. I think DiTerlizzi's choice of a 1920's/1930's film theme was brilliant.
kaitlynreadsbooks's review
3.0
I had about 15 minutes with the second graders before their Halloween parade began. They were excited for the holiday and eager to begin the festivities, so they had a hard time settling down for story time. They immediately got quiet as soon as I started reading, because you can tell right away that this is a suspenseful story. Unfortunately, we were interrupted by "Monster Mash" playing over the intercom and they got rambunctious again so they didn't quite get the ending, which is probably just as well—that ending is not a happy one. But the illustrations are fantastic, and I really enjoyed reading the story to them in my best suspenseful spider voice.
jiffy1066's review
3.0
I'm torn about this one. I love the illustrations. I like the moral that one should be wary of flattering strangers. And I like the lesson that not all stories have happy endings. A lot of people complain that this story is too dark or scary for children, but it really didn't bother me or my 5 year old. What did bother me was that this story pushes the stereotypical 'male aggressor praying on vulnerable, naive female' trope and I'm not comfortable with that message being pushed onto little kids.